”From the rapture to solar eclipses, better grab that shovel and dig deep for the truth. I would say, don’t trust any but self and recall the best of all ways is to be Autodidactic!”
Alright, lots to explore, appreciate your time here. Say Awesome…Cambell!
Recently published data from a survey conducted in Washington State among teenagers and adolescents indicates a decline in both past-one-month and lifetime use of cannabis in the past few years, with notable decreases that have persisted through 2023. The findings suggest that the perceived accessibility of marijuana among minors has typically decreased since the state legalized recreational use in 2012, which contradicts concerns voiced by those opposed to legalization.
In 2023, about 8.4% of 10th graders in Washington reported using cannabis within the past month, a slight increase from 7.2% in 2021, according to the study. However, both figures were significantly lower than prelegalization statistics. For instance, in 2010, 20% of 10th graders admitted to using marijuana within the previous month.
Within King County, the most populated county in the state, only 5.5% of 10th graders reported marijuana use in the past 30 days in 2023, a decline from 7.3% in 2021 and a substantial decrease from 18.1% in 2010. Similar reductions were observed in lifetime cannabis use among students in other surveyed grade levels, including 12th, 8th and 6th grades.
In a recent blog post highlighted these findings, the state’s Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) indicated a stable trend in youth alcohol and marijuana use since 2021. Health officials credit the significant declines observed between the years 2018 and 2021 at least partially to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, although youth cannabis use had already been declining overall since the legalization of adult-use marijuana.
The state health department stated that while the long-term effects are uncertain, substance use remained relatively stable in 2023 in Washington and across the country. However, there were increases in the abuse of prescription medication, analgesics and other illicit substances compared to 2021, suggesting a need for more preventive measures.
Perceived marijuana access also decreased considerably, according to the study. In 2010, more than one-half of 10th graders surveyed said it would be easy to obtain the substance. However, by 2021, the number fell to 31.6%, and in 2023, this number further decreased to 30.8%.
The study also examined other marijuana-related attitudes and behaviors. Statewide, 10th graders were more likely in the past year to admit the risks of attempting or routinely consuming marijuana. Additionally, more respondents believed that youth using cannabis in their neighborhood would be apprehended by the police.
Even within peer groups, the acceptance of cannabis consumption has decreased compared to before recreational cannabis legalization. The majority of 10th graders now consider it wrong for someone their age to use cannabis.
These findings complement a recent study by the CDC that also utilized the Healthy Youth Survey and found a significant decrease in frequent and current cannabis use among teenagers in King County since the legalization of recreational marijuana in 2012. Researchers suggested that legalization and the associated regulations may have made marijuana less accessible to teens, although the COVID-19 pandemic could have also contributed to more declines.
Regarding the latest survey, the LCB expressed interest in understanding the prevalence of past-30-day cannabis use among 10th graders. A small percentage (9%) reported purchasing marijuana from a store or stealing (2%) it, which may indicate access to hemp-derived products outside of the licensed system.
The increasing number of studies confirming that cannabis legalization results in fewer teens accessing the substance confirms what industry actors such as Verano Holdings Corp. (CSE: VRNO) (OTCQX: VRNOF) have always believed that ending prohibition can help in limiting access to marijuana by minors.
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CNW420 spotlights the latest developments in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry through the release of an article each business day at 4:20 p.m. Eastern – a tribute to the time synonymous with cannabis culture. The concise, informative content serves as a gateway for investors interested in the legalized cannabis sector and provides updates on how regulatory developments may impact financial markets. If marijuana and the burgeoning industry surrounding it are on your radar, CNW420 is for you! Check back daily to stay up-to-date on the latest milestones in the fast -changing world of cannabis.
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By Zachary Roman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Caledon Citizen
Those looking to purchase legal cannabis must continue to do so outside of Caledon.
At Caledon Council’s April 9 General Committee meeting, Councillors nearly unanimously voted to continue to opt out of having legal cannabis retail stores in Town.
Ward 3 Councillor Doug Maskell was the lone voice of support for allowing the stores.
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When cannabis was made legal by the Federal Government in 2018, it gave municipalities the option to opt in or out of allowing stores within their boundaries. In January of 2019, Caledon councillors chose to opt out.
Since then, a new term of Council has begun. In October 2023, a motion from Maskell asking Town staff to review the feasibility of permitting cannabis retail stores in Caledon was passed by Council. The motion directed Town of Caledon staff to report back to Council in the first quarter of 2024, which they did at the April 9 meeting.
The report from staff included data from a recent survey conducted by the Town on the topic.
In 2024, 56 per cent of survey respondents were against allowing cannabis stores, while 41 per cent were in support and two per cent were undecided. 323 people participated in the survey.
A similar survey conducted by the Town in 2019 found that 52 per cent of residents supported allowing cannabis stores, while 43 per cent were against them and three per cent were undecided. 602 people participated in that survey.
Ward 1 Councillor Lynn Kiernan said neighbouring municipalities that have opted in and allowed cannabis stores have seen negative ramifications from the decision. She said she doesn’t like how once a municipality opts in to allowing the stores, they can’t choose to opt out again.
“I’m not against cannabis… but I don’t think we need shops in Caledon,” said Kiernan.
Regional Councillor Mario Russo said he doesn’t like how the Province would be in charge of everything surrounding the stores. Municipalities do not have jurisdiction, enforcement or licensing authority in the retail cannabis industry — this is all under the control of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission and the police.
“It takes away the autonomy of the municipality to decide certain bylaw restrictions that we’re allowed with every other business out there,” said Russo.
Ward 4 Councillor Nick de Boer said the residents he’s been speaking to haven’t said they want Caledon to opt in to allowing cannabis stores.
Maskell said he believes a cannabis store is a business just like any other and should be treated as such. He said the market for the stores would regulate itself.
“If they’re selling a product that people want, then they’ll stay in business. If they’re not selling a product that people want then they’ll go out of business,” he said. “We’re missing the boat because we’re not actually looking at this in the way it needs to be looked at, which is a purely business decision. I’m shocked that we’re actually turning business away in this Town and turning away places that would rent a store.”
Maskell said Caledon residents are purchasing cannabisanyways in other municipalities.
“Why don’t we bring it here and allow people in Caledon to purchase a legal product in their community?” he asked.
Council’s decision to continue to not allow retail cannabis stores will come up for final approval at Council’s April 30 meeting.
Montreal — The proportion of Quebecers aged 15 and over who have used cannabis fell between 2022 and 2023, according to data released by the Quebec Statistics Institute (ISQ) on Thursday morning.
Last year, nearly 17 per cent of the population aged 15 and over had used cannabis in the previous 12 months, while this proportion was 19 per cent in 2022.
CEO interview series provides Golden Triangle with a platform to share its story with an expanded audience
Collaboration with Cayenne Consulting will provide key strategic planning and expertise in development of Destino Ranch
Destino Ranch aims to redefine luxury entertainment and hospitality experiences
As Golden Triangle Ventures (OTC: GTVH) and its entertainment division, Lavish Entertainment, focus on the development of Destino Ranch, a one-of-a-kind immersive entertainment venue, the company is working to increase awareness of the project. As part of these efforts, Golden Triangle is partnering with NowMedia Networks to broadcast 12 weekly interviews with GTVH CEO and president Steffan Dalsgaard (https://cnw.fm/YAyaE).
“This collaboration signifies the company’s commitment to fostering further transparency and streamlined communication efforts to its shareholders,” stated the Golden Triangle announcement. “These interviews are aimed to provide Golden Triangle with a platform to share its story with an expanded audience through NowMedia Networks’ distribution to over 34 million TVs on 10-plus networks with its viewership comprised of investors, business owners and entrepreneurs.”
NowMedia TV has built a reputation for bilingual and business-oriented content. The 12-week interview series will be integrated into NowMedia TV’s “Power CEOs” and “Vital Signs” programs, both hosted by Jen Gaudet. These shows are designed to be leading platforms for spotlighting trailblazing leaders as they drive global business transformation. Golden Triangle will also be distributing the CEO interview through its social media accounts.
In addition to the collaboration with NowMedia TV, Golden Triangle and Lavish Entertainment are working with Cayenne Consulting on the strategic development of Destino Ranch (https://cnw.fm/QJ8LQ). “We are thrilled to retain Cayenne Consulting for the development of Destino Ranch,” said Lavish Entertainment president and COO Marco Moreno. “As we embark on this exciting journey to create a one-of-a-kind destination, we recognize the importance of strategic planning and expertise. Cayenne Consulting’s comprehensive approach and industry insights will be instrumental in bringing our vision for Destino Ranch to life.”
Destino Ranch aims to redefine luxury entertainment and hospitality experiences. Set amid the breathtaking landscapes of the Mojave Desert, Destino Ranch will offer a unique blend of world-class entertainment, luxurious accommodations and immersive experiences. The destination location is designed to be an outdoor music and festival venue, immersive art installation and tourist attraction.
Golden Triangle Ventures is a multifaceted consulting company that operates as a parent business pursuing ventures in the health, entertainment and technology sectors, along with others that provide synergistic value to these three core divisions. The company aims to purchase, acquire and/or joint venture with established entities within these areas of business. The goods and services represented are driven by innovators who have passion and commitment in these marketplaces. The company plans to utilize relationships and create a platform for new and existing businesses to strengthen their products and/or services. The three points of the Golden Triangle exclusively represent the three sectors the company aims to do business in.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to GTVH are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/GTVH
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InvestorWire (“IW”) is a specialized communications platform with a focus on advanced wire-grade press release syndication for private and public companies and the investment community. It is one of 60+ brands within the Dynamic Brand Portfolio @ IBN that delivers: (1) access to a vast network of wire solutions via InvestorWire to efficiently and effectively reach a myriad of target markets, demographics and diverse industries; (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ outlets; (3) enhanced press release enhancement to ensure maximum impact; (4) social media distribution via IBN to millions of social media followers; and (5) a full array of tailored corporate communications solutions. With broad reach and a seasoned team of contributing journalists and writers, IW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that want to reach a wide audience of investors, influencers, consumers, journalists and the general public. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, IW brings its clients unparalleled recognition and brand awareness. IW is where breaking news, insightful content and actionable information converge.
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Spring has sprung, and the garden’s candytuft is in full bloom. The gorgeous plant drapes itself over the edge of the rock wall; its pure white blossoms stand out against the foliage of other plants that have yet to open and attract pollinators in search of early-season food. Providing bees, butterflies, and other insects with enough nectar is essential, and candytuft is an excellent way to welcome them before summer begins.
Part of the Brassicaceae family, candytuft (Iberis sempervirens) is a spreading, woody-based, herbaceous perennial or sub-shrub. Springtime candytuft typically forms a mound of dark green inch-long leathery leaves. An evergreen in my zone 7 garden, in colder climates, the foliage can become straggly and leaves drop. No worries; they will all come back bigger and better. The plant produces tiny white four-petalled flowers in dense, flattened clusters (corymbs) in spring.
There are several different candytuft varieties. Alexander’s White is about a foot wide and has more flowers than other varieties, such as Little Gem and Purity. Both are more compact, with a spread of approximately 6-8”. Whether the desired effect is a flowing waterfall of white over the rock wall or a smaller plant trailing out a container, candytuft is happy to oblige.
General Care
Hardy to Zone 3, Alexander’s White (in my garden) loves full sun and loamy, well-draining soil. It prefers to be kept moist, not too dry or too wet.
Candytuft will bloom in part shade but less prolifically than in full sun. Once it flowers, cut or sheer the stems back about a third to encourage new growth and maintain its compact habit. Although it may feel like you’re cutting back the entire plant, if you don’t prune it well, it won’t bloom as beautifully as it should in the spring.
Problems
Candytuft is susceptible to root rot. If planting in a container, ensure the pot has good drainage. Slugs, snails, and caterpillars are a problem for the plant, but they have not bothered mine for some reason. Powdery mildew and leaf spot are also common issues. The best way to keep these diseases at bay is to ensure the plant gets water through its roots and never via the leaves. Doing so prevents the disease spores from growing.
Without candytuft, my April garden would be bare. It stands out as a plant of distinction, earning its place as a favorite, easy-to-grow garden perennial.
Join me next month as we garden and grow together.
Last week, an Albany judge overturned New York’s rules on marijuana advertising and marketing. In his ruling, Judge Kevin Bryant stated that the rules were a violation of free speech and commerce. This ruling throws the state’s already struggling legal marijuana industry into confusion.
In 2023, the state was prevented from issuing licenses to new marijuana shops for months, which left many shops unopened and allowed unlicensed retailers to operate across the city. In his 13-page ruling, Judge Bryant explained that the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) published regulations outlawing marketing and promotions on third-party platforms with no evidence to support its edicts.
The judge added that there was nothing in the record to determine precisely how the OCM came up with its regulations. The judge’s ruling also cast aside the ban that covered price listings for marijuana products such as joints, loose flower and gummies. In addition to this, the judge ordered the state of New York to pay for the plaintiffs’ legal expenses.
Marijuana operators have raised concerns that the recent ruling has done away with most of the OCM’s regulations.
The case was brought forward by Leafly, a third-party marijuana promoter based in Seattle that runs a licensed marijuana store in upstate Rensselaer. Stage One dispensary and Rosanna St. John, one of its consumers, were also party to the lawsuit. In their filing, the plaintiffs claimed that the OCM prevented Stage One from working with Leafly to promote its marijuana products on the latter’s site.
In a statement, Leafly revealed that the company was pleased to hear that the court agreed with its claims. The promoter added that it was excited to support licensed retailers and consumers in New York with the firm’s full suite of services and products and noted that it hoped this decision would ultimately lead to a stable, healthy adult-use market in the state of New York.
In its statement, the marijuana promoter also highlighted the importance of offering consumers different choices as well as educational information when making purchasing decisions. It added that it was important that licensed retailers have equal access to crucial marketing and advertising tools that would allow them to succeed in this competitive landscape.
Governor Kathy Hochuk has yet to release a statement regarding the recent ruling. The governor, who oversees the OCM, has, however, initiated a review and possible overhaul of the office’s licensing and management.
Cannabis industry actors such as Cresco Labs Inc. (CSE: CL) (OTCQX: CRLBF) are likely to welcome the court decision to reverse the ban on advertising marijuana products since such restrictions make it harder for state-legal cannabis businesses in the country to grow and sustain their operations.
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CannabisNewsWire (“CNW”) is a specialized communications platform with a focus on cannabis news and the cannabis sector. It is one of 60+ brands within the Dynamic Brand Portfolio @ IBN that delivers: (1) access to a vast network of wire solutions via InvestorWire to efficiently and effectively reach a myriad of target markets, demographics and diverse industries; (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ outlets; (3) enhanced press release enhancement to ensure maximum impact; (4) social media distribution via IBN to millions of social media followers; and (5) a full array of tailored corporate communications solutions. With broad reach and a seasoned team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that want to reach a wide audience of investors, influencers, consumers, journalists and the general public. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where breaking news, insightful content and actionable information converge.
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In March 2024, Health Canada released its Legislative Review of the Cannabis Act’s Final Report. Judging by early industry response many in the cannabis community are less than enamoured with its recommendations, although there have also been statements of hopeful optimism.
Industry observers have criticized the Expert Panel’s headlining recommendations, particularly concerning the Cannabis Excise Tax, which it has recommended be maintained with some adjustments. Recommendation #27 that the government apply progressively greater duties for products with higher THC concentrations and quantities came under fire, as did the Panel’s recommendation to stay the course on THC limits for edibles. Criticism was also leveled at the Panel’s composition, which lacks industry and consumer representation, and the delay of the Review itself.
While these concerns are understandable they reflect a misreading of forces driving the federal cannabis framework, a discounting of broader public concerns and an impractical view of Canadian politics.
For starters, the continued growth of demand for recreational cannabis tends to undercut arguments that the sector is struggling. It’s the growing consumption by youth and young adults especially that is driving the Panel’s concern about public health impacts, as I noted in my piece on the ‘What We Heard’ report.
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Matt Lamers profiled these developments in a recent X post which revealed that use by youth aged 16-19 years has risen 7 points since 2018, to 43 per cent in 2023. As he contends, “There won’t be any meaningful easing of regulations governing legal businesses until cannabis consumption rates decline.”
That said, my review of the Panel’s observations and recommendations suggests some possible modest wins and provides insights for more fruitful advocacy.
The importance of public health
As mentioned, the overriding purpose of the Cannabis Act and its Regulations is to protect young persons and the broader population from the harms of cannabis use. While the legislation has other goals, those are subordinate to public well-being. The first four themes in the Final Report’s summary focuses respectively on youth, children and adults, and maintains public health measures such as tight restrictions on advertising and promotion. The next theme, which addresses First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities also has a strong public health imperative and cites the challenges in offering cannabis health services to these groups, particularly for mental health care.
Given this inescapable fact, the cannabis industry should look for allies in the public health and affected health advocacy communities.
Businesses may decide to address these issues by calling for more accurate reporting of THC levels on product labels, and by pressing for national standards to govern lab practices.
Following the tobacco playbook for promotion, advocacy and enforcement
Another point I have noted previously is the strong influence of tobacco control strategies on cannabis regulation. The problem for the industry is, well, that cannabis is mainly seen as a health issue by government, and only secondly as an economic opportunity. This means that growing the industry is not a key federal objective, except, perhaps, to the extent that legal businesses can gain market share from illegal providers, now estimated by Statistics Canada to supply 30 per cent of demand.
The Panel recommends more vigilant enforcement, especially for repeat offenders. Unfortunately, that call is intended for legal operators. The report does include a number of observations directed at other levels of government and hence beyond its mandate.
Chapter 10 on criminal activity and the illegal market is filled with suggestions such as targeting criminal networks, closing unlicensed stores on First Nations territories, and encouraging provincial governments to force internet service providers to block illicit websites. These proposals have no chance of being realized through this exercise.
LPs and retailers are already reporting increased enforcement. I recently learned that Health Canada seems to be stepping up warning letters to retailers, who must also deal with provincial inspectors. In Ontario for example, the AGCO just issued a $200,000 penalty to Cannabis Xpress for violating its rules on retail inducements.
Not all enforcement is seen as bothersome, as retailers have long been asking authorities to clamp down on data deals involving product purchases. The Final Report does not address the duplication of compliance oversight, however. Since the Act delegates responsibility for retailing recreational cannabis to the provinces, a single enforcement focus by provinces would reduce confusion and perhaps even require the two levels of government to speak with each other.
Road safety is part of the federal framework, and the Report singles out cannabis-impaired driving despite the lack of reliable data to confirm a problem or indicate how this will be enforced.
It’s unlikely that additional resources will be found to train additional officers, especially those under provincial jurisdiction who are already overburdened with statutory duties. Why this should be called for, “particularly for rural and remote police services” is one of the Report’s unexplained mysteries.
Recommendations one through fifteen highlight measures directly borrowed from tobacco control initiatives. Of special note, number 2 asks Health Canada to set and monitor targets to reduce youth and young adult consumption, which poses a problem for an industry that increasingly sells to the latter. More stringent proposed requirements on advertising and promotion include further restriction of promotional characteristics appealing to youth; new requirements for information on THC and CBD quantities and concentrations; more explicit limits on branding elements; and additional warning messages on psychosis and schizophrenia.
One recommendation the industry might consider supporting is the Panel’s call for a youth advisory board to engage young persons on cannabis issues. Such a group should be co-sponsored with government to position the cannabis industry as a partner. However, the panel probably has in mind the tobacco control model where such groups report to government only, in opposition to that industry.
Taxes, Fees, and Revenues
As reported by other observers, businesses hoping for Excise Tax relief were disappointed to learn that the panel offers little support for this measure. The main reason from a public health perspective is that excise taxes are used as a tool to control consumption of a product with broad public policy implications.
Historically, these taxes have been applied to tobacco, beverage alcohol and fuel to modulate or dampen demand, and raise revenue to offset social costs from the use of these commodities. For example, alcohol and tobacco excise taxes are designed to offset health care costs, while fuel taxes help fund policing and roads. At the same time these products generate revenue and provide employment. The balancing act for government is to weigh economic benefits against ill effects such as higher mortality, stress on health care facilities and related costs.
In keeping with this approach, tobacco control advocates have successfully lobbied governments to increase taxes to significantly reduce demand for tobacco products. Only when high tobacco duties created a profitable illicit market were tax hikes moderated. The case for moderation and perhaps a limited pullback for cannabis taxes may rest on the argument that a more profitable cannabis industry is better positioned to erode illegal sales, or failing that, to detail how growth in legally generated revenue is in danger of being reversed.
Unfortunately, the evidence thus far doesn’t show that excise taxes have dampened demand for legal products. Notwithstanding growing defaults and arears in excise tax payments, legal cannabis continues to be widely available at low prices across Canada while demand appears to be growing.
The report’s recommendation that Finance Canada apply progressively higher duties for higher risk (i.e., high THC) products reflects the above logic to discourage their use, a policy that also plays to the concerns of public health advocates.
More positively, this measure could incent more stringent lab testing practices and more accurate THC ratings on labels, promote development of lower THC products, and spur market research to identify overlooked consumer niches who would be interested in such products.
The panel does offer modest olive branches in recommending that Finance Canada redesign its excise tax model to recognize that dried flower was priced significantly higher when the model was developed and will likely remain cheap for the foreseeable future. In lieu of making major concessions on the excise tax, Health Canada is encouraged to accelerate regulatory streamlining to lighten the administrative burden on federal licensees.
With little ‘give’ on the industry’s cost structure, some producers may decide to develop higher value-added products. This might be done by offering products that appeal to older buyers with greater discretionary income, similar to beverage alcohol segments for fine wine and bespoke distillates.
Perhaps more LPs will emulate premium wineries by growing outdoors and introducing seasonality and terroir to their business models.
What Kafka got right is how societies can become busily dysfunctional.
For self-evident reasons, the fictional visions of Orwell and Huxley resonate as maps to the present distemper. Orwell’s account of full-spectrum technological totalitarianism maps Big Tech’s mastery of Surveillance Capitalism and governments’ full-spectrum surveillance powering the fine-grained coercion of social credit scores and related tools.
Huxley’s vision of a doped-up, med-dependent populace that loves its servitude also maps the present. Indeed, not only do we love our servitude, which manifests in our endless addictions and dependencies on everything from debt to junk food to painkillers, our servitude has been so normalized that we don’t even recognize the servitude that underpins “normal life.”
What Orwell and Huxley got wrong is the limits of these nightmarishly effective systems of control.Full-spectrum technological totalitarianism can certainly enforce compliance with the desired behaviors and expressions of consent, but it can’t force individuals to have ambition or creativity, to marry for love and children, or possess values or beliefs beyond the superficial lip-syncing of compliance.
The coercive structures of the Surveillance State and Surveillance Capitalism are intrinsically inauthentic, ersatz, hollow, demanding an entirely artificial and easily faked appearance of consent that mimics devotion to the principles and narratives being shoved down the throats of the populace.
These structures enforce what isn’t allowed and superficial compliance, but they can’t force what actually makes a society functional: the convictions, hopes and values that inspire individuals to marry, raise a family and pursue self-expression via achievement. What actually happens in societies controlled by the Surveillance State and Surveillance Capitalism is decay and decline, as young people abandon ambition, marriage and raising children by lying flat and letting it rot, expressions of young people in China that speak to youth everywhere where compliance is more important than individual liberty.
If you doubt these dynamics, please observe the dismay of authorities as their national marriage and birth rates collapse. All sorts of explanations for this collapse are offered, except the ones that count: societies that require an appearance of consent are inauthentic, hollow shells.
The same can be said of doped-up, med-dependent, entertainment-addicted societies that love their servitude. Individuals give up ambition, marriage and raising children due to soaring costs, out-of-reach financial security, and the debilitating consequences of all the Soma, meds, addictions, distractions and derangements that are accepted as “normal.”
What Kafka got right is everyone’s super-busy but nothing gets done. In Kafka’s novel The Castle, the bureaucracy toiling unseen in the Castle is bustling 24/7, but nothing actually gets done in the impoverished village below. Attempts to reach the bureaucracy by phone are futile, as calls are only picked up randomly or as pranks.
(“You’ve reached the DMV, the IRS, Xfinity, Engulf and Devour Healthcare, etc. Your call is very important to us…”)
In Kafka’s fictional world, the authority to actually get anything done is always out of reach. In The Castle, the leader who supposedly has the power to approve projects sits isolated in his office, unreachable and unapproachable, though he can be seen reading a newspaper through a peephole. Whether he actually possesses the power to approve anything is an open question with no answer.
Kafka’s world is one of cowed peasants bickering among themselves, nurturing grudges and speculating fruitlessly about the cloaked conspiracies of the authorities in the Castle. The sexual predations of the authorities and the dismal fates of they used and abandoned are described in whispers, and what work that is available is menial and poorly paid.
What Kafka got right is how societies can become busily dysfunctional, cluttered with unseen lines of authority that may not actually have the authority their official titles suggest, an inscrutably unreachable, unseen bureaucracy and an impoverished populace muddling along on gossip and rumors.
Stripped of gaslighting, fake optimism and empty exhortations to YOLO borrow and spend, that’s a fair description of our current situation. Yes, yes, everything’s wunnerful, it’s The Roaring 20s all over again (never mind how the 1920s ended), AI is gonna make corporations trillions in profits by further immiserating the populace, oops I mean “improving productivity,” and our tireless authorities are hard at work solving all our problems–don’t you hear the whirring of the “money” printing presses running 24/7?
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